These stuffed pancakes are a favorite all over the Middle East. There are about twenty ways to say and spell `ataif (qataif/`atayef/qatayef…) and about fifty ways to prepare them. They can be large or small, open or closed, baked or fried, filled with cream, nuts or cheese.

According to Claudia Roden, these Arabic pancakes are a medieval dish which has remained unchanged to this day. (Some things never change.)

`Ataif are a festive sweet served during happy occasions and celebrations. I associate them most with Ramadan. The first time I experienced `ataif (qataif in Palestinian dialect), was during my first Ramadan in Palestine in 1988. I was mesmerized by the qataif maker in East Jerusalem, who made thousands of these uniform pancakes.

During Ramadan, ready-made pancakes are available in bakeries and supermarkets all over the Middle East. However, the pancakes are easy enough to make at home.

These pancakes come in various sizes. The small ones are filled with cream, pinched at one end and garnished with pistachios.

Below is our family recipe. For this recipe, buy medium-size `atief pancakes (about 4” or 10 cm wide) or make the pancakes from scratch.

`Ataif ~ Arabic Pancakes Stuffed with Walnuts

Makes approximately 18

Pancake Batter

The stuffed pancakes are dipped in a scented simple syrup when they come out of the oven. Prepare the `atar syrup in advance.

1. To make the batter, blend yeast with sugar and ¼ cup of the warm water in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve. Sift flour into medium mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour remaining water, salt and yeast mixture into well. Stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Use whisk to remove any lumps.

2. Cover bowl with cloth and let rise for one hour in warm place. The batter will expand and the surface will become bubbly.

3. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat and lightly grease with oil. While pan is heating, beat the batter a little bit with a whisk. If batter is too thick, add a few extra tablespoons of water.

4. Using a ¼ cup measurer, pour enough batter to make one pancake. With the measuring cup, spread the batter into a circle. Pancakes should be approximately 4” (10 cm) wide.

5. Bubbles will start to form on the top. Pancake is finished when the top beccomes dry without any shiny spots. Cook on one side only. Place finished pancakes browned side down on a clean dish towel to cool. Stack on a plate and cover until ready to use.

6. To make the filling, combine nuts, sugar and cinnamon.

7. To stuff the pancakes, fold a pancake in half (cooked side on the outside). Pinch at the corners to make a pocket. Spoon approximately 1 Tablespoon filling into the pancake. Bring edges together and pinch firmly all around to form a crescent. Arrange in one layer on a shallow baking pan. At this point, the stuffed pancakes can be covered and set aside for several hours until time to bake.

8. Bake stuffed pancakes in a moderate oven, 350°F (180°C). While the oven is preheating, brush the stuffed pancakes (both sides) with the melted clarified butter. For softer `ataif, bake for 15 minutes. For crispier `ataif, bake for ten minutes on each side.

9. While still hot, briefly dip the stuffed pancakes one by one into the `atar syrup. Arrange on a serving platter and serve warm with extra `atar syrup on the side.

Tips for Entertaining: Doublethe pancake recipe. Have two frying pans going at once. Prepare the pancakes in advance (same day). Stuff the pancakes several hours before needed, cover and set aside. Just before baking, brush with butter. The `atar syrup can be made a week in advance.

Questions: How do you like to prepare `ataif? What is your favorite Ramadan sweet?

This syrup is a traditional feature of Middle Eastern sweets and pastries. It’s essentially a sugar syrup that is used to bathe, soak or sprinkle on various sweets. It’s scented with orange blossom water, rose water or both. These distilled essences are widely available in the Middle East, and they are increasingly available in the West.

The syrup is very easy to make, and the proportions vary depending on desired thickness. Water and sugar are boiled with a little lemon juice to prevent it from crystallizing. The orange blossom water or rose water is stirred in at the end of cooking. Any sooner can weaken their aroma.

When the syrup is used for making pastries, it must be added when the pastries are already baked, fried or cooked. Cold syrup is added to hot pastries. It’s either poured onto the pastry or the pastry is dipped for a moment, then lifted out.

`Atar ~ Simple Syrup ~ Recipe to make about 3 cups

3 cups sugar

2½ cups cold water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons orange blossom water or rose water

Method

Dissolve sugar in water in heavy pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Bring to boil, add lemon juice and boil over medium-low heat for 12 minutes. Once syrup has begun to boil, do not stir again, as this makes the syrup cloudy.

Add orange blossom water (or rose water), boil 30 seconds longer. When cool, the consistency should be similar to thin honey.

Cool and store in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for several weeks.